Emperor Taishō

Yoshihito}} (31 August 1879 – 25 December 1926), posthumously honored as Emperor Taishō,}} was the 123rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 1912 until his death in 1926. The era he presided over is known as the Taishō era.

Born to Emperor Meiji and his concubine Yanagiwara Naruko, Yoshihito was proclaimed crown prince in 1888, his two older siblings having died in infancy. In May 1900, he married Kujō Sadako, a member of the Kujō family of the Fujiwara clan. The couple had four sons: Hirohito, Yasuhito, Nobuhito and Takahito.

When his father died from kidney failure and ulcerative colitis in July 1912, Yoshihito—then 32 years old—ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne and became emperor of Japan. Suffering from neurological issues for the better part of his life, he played only a limited role in politics and from 1919 on undertook no official duties. His reign was characterized by a liberal and democratic shift in political power known as Taishō Democracy. He also oversaw Japan's entrance in the First World War (1914–1918), the Spanish flu pandemic (1918–1920), and the Great Kantō earthquake of September 1923.

Yoshihito's declining health led to the appointment of his eldest son, Crown Prince Hirohito, as prince regent in 1921. He spent the rest of his life as a recluse. Yoshihito died of a heart attack at the age of 47 following a bout of pneumonia in December 1926, and was succeeded by Hirohito. Provided by Wikipedia